Oil workers threaten strike

Oil workers , acting under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN ) and National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG ) have threatened to embark on zonal industrial action to address the injustice meted out to their colleagues at Arco Petroleum (Nig ) Plc by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC ).

Addressing reporters in Port Harcourt yesterday , the Port Harcourt Zonal Chairman of NUPENG , Comrade Godwin Eruba and PENGASSAN Chairman , Port Harcourt Zone , Comrade Azubike Azubuike said if NAOC is not called to order to rescind the quit order it has given to Arco and follow due process as required by law , they would have no choice but to down tools . Eruba and Azubuike said trouble started when NAOC ordered Arco to vacate its
(NAOC ’ s ) plants at OB/OB Ebocha in Rivers State and Kwale in Delta State with immediate effect to give way for Plantgeria (Nig ) Ltd to take over the plants. They argued that Arco is an indigenous company that has been doing very well in the oil and gas industry for many years , lamenting that in the era of encouraging local content , it would be a great disservice to ask the company to take its hands off a job it has been handling for years .